Sex with Robots

Many years ago I took a radio crew into a high-class brothel in Sydney. I was running a program called the The Sex Show on Triple M and wanted to find out exactly what went on and why. The club was filled with beautiful people, male and female. The working girls were mainly university students hunting down easy money.

But it was the men I found most fascinating. Sitting around in an open, relaxed bar area where the girls were drinking with them, or in a large jacuzzi “just for warm-ups”, were the creme de la creme of the professional world. Good-looking and well-heeled men in their late 20s, 30s or early 40s, on their way home from city jobs — the sorts of men my single friends all wanted to date. What were they doing here instead?

One man lying in a spa bath with mates summed it up for listeners on my radio show: “Hey, can you handle the truth?” he laughed. “If I take a woman out for dinner on a date there’s a 50-50 chance I’ll get sex. So that’s $120 with no guaranteed gain. For $200 (the rate in those days) I am guaranteed sex or a happy ending rub.”

No wonder my single girlfriends were so despairing.

The notion of no-strings sex opens the discussion to a new consultation report just released by the Foundation for Responsible Robotics called Our Sexual Future with Robots (and cheekily dubbed Exsperminate) exploring the issues and ethicality of it all.

The report, put together by ethicists, robotic experts, scientists and scholars, tackles the thorny questions this technology poses, such as: How will society feel about robot sex workers? Could sexbots lead to greater social isolation? Would they help to reduce — or increase — sex crimes? And who would use them regularly?

The whiz-bang finance men in the brothel could certainly get an even better deal as owner-occupiers of such an investment. But would the average male do it? Would women? Is it infidelity?

Given that sex with beautiful robots is almost here with existing high-end sex dolls morphing into more sophisticated versions, the moral imperative to answer these questions is more urgent than we think. Most of us know companies have long been making humanoid dolls — as seen in the movie Lars and the Real Girl (starring Ryan Gosling) — with lifelike skin and metal skeletons, so that they can be manoeuvred into a variety of positions and made to order down to body-part size.

There are now sex-doll brothels across the world. And some men are even marrying them.

But I was surprised to read in the report that while we are not quite at the Hollywood stage of Blade Runner’s replicant Pris, or the androids seen in Ex Machina, Westworld and Humans, companies are furiously on it, and we are months rather than years away from getting early (but not yet walking) prototypes compatible with artificial intelligence that can move, contract, speak and have personalities.

And once we are over the “sad sack factor” or “only the lonely”, it may become the norm. The report, which uses an aggregate of various surveys, says that on average two-thirds of males would try robotic sex, and half as many women — which is still a sizeable number; and about 86 per cent thought they could be sexually satisfied.

After all, our brain is our biggest sex organ and with our fantasies in full swing, excitatory hormones will flow and off we go.

But the report urges us to consider many ethical and legal issues, such as privacy. If robots are linked to the web, they are capable of breaches of security (think spyware or cameras). Recently data was sent back to base from wireless vibrators, causing an international storm. It gives new meaning to the words “needing protection”.

Will such robots create social isolation? The scholars cited in the report agree that sex with robots could exacerbate the growing problem of narcissism caused by social media. On the other hand, for the disabled, elderly or sexually or emotionally challenged, it allows access to a way of life previously denied them, and could prove to be a healing tool.

But from what age should young people be allowed to use them? And will sex robots change societal perceptions of gender? Rightly or wrongly, some have long argued porn causes men to objectify women’s bodies; would sexbots intensify the problem and lead to forms of rape?

The debate on pornography linked to violence has never swayed me. Even as a feminist sex journalist, I’ve never seen the evidence. What concerns me more is the notion of learned selfishness. I think a lot of lovers have enough trouble pleasuring each other without being conditioned by submissive dolls that don’t voice their needs — especially for young men.

Is it infidelity? In one episode of Humans a married owner of the robot nanny takes liberties. About 42 per cent of participants in a Huffington Post survey would consider acts like that cheating while 31 per cent said they would not and 26 per cent were unsure.

Other ethics have to be addressed. It will be possible to request an actual human being’s face. Could be you! I remember the episode of Seinfeld where someone made a mannequin of Elaine.

Will women want them too? I worked in a sex shop for a while and know how much women love their toys. But I also know that for the most women consider sex toys second best to satiating the skin-hunger that comes from intimacy. We desire that we are desired.

Women also produce the hormone oxytocin after a few orgasms with the one person. That is the “cuddle chemical” nature provides to get us to fall in love and procreate. It’s an unbelievable buzz once it kicks in. Will we feel isolated and depressed at the lack of more powerful “love-gasms”, or will our imaginations and fantasy push us through?

Would sex robots help to reduce sex crimes? The jury is out on this, too. On one side, there’s a small number who believe a sex robot would satiate dark, illegal perversions and prevent abuse of humans.

But countless scholars and therapists insist that this presumption is dangerous. Indeed, there was a horrible story recently on the rise of pedophile dolls, which are banned in Australia.

The slogan says “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”. I say take note of the massacres in the US and tell me guns shouldn’t be kept illegal — as child dolls and robots must.

So, how close are we? The report says some of the early and forthcoming releases on the market are Harmony by Realbotix (a division of Abyss Creations makers of RealDoll), Android Love Doll by Android Love Dolls, Roxxxy Gold by TrueCompanion, and Harry Harddrive by Sex Bot Company.

There is certainly no sign of anything like the Scarlett Johansson character in the movie Her as yet, but Harmony is well on the way, learning about you while you converse with her, with her movable mouth and soon facial recognition via an AI app.

But a quick scan of one website, realbotix.systems, proves a bit ghoulish. From my cursory understanding, at this early stage the “robotic”, AI part of Harmony is the head alone, which can be attached to the RealDoll body but is also available as a stand-alone.

The report says advanced sex dolls / quasi sexbots range in price from about $5000 to $15,000 for what will soon be top-of-the-line sexbots that are fast being developed to respond to touch, and could simulate orgasm, making arched neck and facial movements, and having contractions.

Technology is also being developed to create them as an avatar that can be used for virtual interactions. In other words, a partner who is abroad can operate Hard-Joe via Bluetooth or wirelessly to make love to his wife as himself, in the same way remote surgery is already being done with the surgeon manipulating a touch-sensitive robotic arm via the web.

The male partner could talk to her through the robot’s mouth and have a touch-sensitive virtual experience at the other end via a form of sleeve.

There are lots of accoutrements to the sexbot trade such as the OhRoma mask that pumps virtual sex smells to make the experience as realistic as possible (“More armpit please?”).

Also coming are multi-screen virtual reality images and films using VR glasses to bring to life a complete 360-degree full-body experience while with your robot.

Chris O’Dwyer is the director of Machineability, a company that produces mechanical, animated creatures and models for films and industrial prototypes.

He says these robots would still be for the relatively wealthy. But mass production is on its way with 3-D printers now able to construct shoes, appliances, tools and so on — using latex, rubber, glass, metals or even titanium.

The skeleton and body could be printed, much as cars are now being printed. So parts will be mass produced and assembled on production lines and you can then download the personality version of, say, “hippie chick” by plugging into a chosen web program on your home computer.

With affordability nearly upon us, we need to sort the ethics out sooner rather than later as reality enters the realm of what used to be science fiction.

Reader comments on this site are moderated before publication to promote lively and civil debate. We encourage your comments but submitting one does not guarantee publication. We publish hundreds of comments daily, and if a comment is rejected it is likely because it does not meet with our comment guidelines, which you can read here. No correspondence will be entered into if a comment is declined.

What is the exact logic behind banning child sex robots? Do they think latent pedophiles will not discover (or decide) what they are until they try it? That flies in the face of all modern research into adult sexual orientation.

Or maybe there is no logic, it’s just that no lawmaker wants to be on the front page as the one who had the opportunity to ban it and didn’t.

People on Earth no longer have penetrative intercourse but take exaltation-transference pills and press their palms together when their “psychocardiograms are in perfect harmony”.

At one point Barbarella is locked in the Orgasmostron, where she is supposed to die of ecstasy, but her multiple orgasms overload the machine and she escapes yet again.

Billy Connolly told a story about a bloke who bought a blow-up sex doll. In the throes of passion he bit its neck and it flew round the room like a balloon. He took it back to the sex shop and told the proprietor that it went down on him when he bit it. The proprietor told him that if he’d know it could do that he would have charged him another $50.

It is very telling to me that whilst straight white male are considered by every single ‘studies’ discipline and their media cronies as some kind of superfluous oppressor class that simply don’t matter, they are extremely fearful of men getting a hold of sexbots. One would have thought this would free women from the ’emotional labour ‘ of their oppressors. But in fact, even the most moderate feminist becomes Andrea Dworkin when high-level sexbots get a mention. Why are these people so scared of male sexual autonomy? Oops, gave away the answer – autonomy.

What a time saver. Ladies, no longer so we need to shave legs, wax other bits or even bother brushing your teeth if you just can’t be bothered. And as soon as your done, he’s done and packed away till next time.

None of that derogatory Trump stuff is actually worth reporting but the media are addicted to reporting it rather than the fact that the way things are going, people won’t be able to afford the electricity to plug in their sex bots.

Yes vince I worry about that too. I wonder if they have a real choice. Are they trafficked, or in a difficult financial situation. They would have to live a double life to avoid being an outcast then there is the risk of assault and attachment problems, self esteem problems, in their later life. Many need drugs to avoid the reality of what they do.

The counter argument is that some are willing. That does not mean there will be no harm.

Ruth, your statement that you don’t believe in a link between pornography and violence is utterly foolish. Come and speak to wives in the real world. And the effect of pornography on children is unspeakable. We have big problems ahead.

Don’t worry, it will be banned for heterosexuals. Transbots, LGBots and PoCbots however, will be tools of liberation and diversity and inclusion. Unlike patriarchy bots, diversity bots will be culturally celebrated and bestowed all of the protections available by HRC and will become regular guests on Q&A.

There is something repugnant about this. But females for example have been using vibrators for years. I do remember seeing a movie a few years ago where a couple put an electronic hat on each that somehow synchronised with each other and they had a mental experience without the exchange of fluids. Does not appeal to me, but I am just one Joe in the world.

This is all really sad. I thought the porn thing (which I DO find violent) was bad enough. Pornography within marriage is now one of the most cited causes of divorce so you can only imagine the effect of these things on the delicate balance of human beings intimate life.

If you live in South Australia is there a possibility you might be stuck in a passionate embrace until Jay turns the lights back on? Or if the pseudo lady is powered by lithium batteries is there some possibility that your member might be unfortunately carbonised in an intense but localised explosion?

What is this thing called “sex” that you write of? I have some vague memory of a bodily activity that brought forth a couple of very expensive and now rude and surly children, but not for some years now.

Infidelity is the gap between your actions and your promises/assurances/vows etc. So whether a robot would count is down to the couple, and the parameters they set. Given the future has a habit of arriving quickly it might pay some couples to explicitly sort that out in advance

Geez would I stick my thing in that thing? What if it caught a programming virus and the wrong part clenched tight rendering you captive? Drag it to the PC and hook it up and run Malware Bytes? Or would that be Widows (sic) Update.

About Ruth Ostrow

2 Responses to Sex with Robots

The whole topic raises umpteen questions! What a strange world this planet is becoming. I neither recognise, relate or desire any of the above.
It all seems about me, me.
Humans are changing into something else and it doesn’t strike me as being attractive.
Just my 5 cents worth.

The problem females like Ms Ostrow have is that the only thing a female can offer a man is a 75% chance she will ruin his life.

As a feminist, Ms Ostrow knows how the very nature of men, masculinity itself, is toxic. She can tell us how evil men pay females less for no other reason than they are female. How useless men are at sex. How everything is the fault of men. How violent men are. How men need to raise their consciousness. How men are not as evolved as females.

Despite Ms Ostrow’s fears, a bloke is not going to grab some blue haired, metal faced, fat, ugly, hairy, tattooed feminist from the pub and rape her when he has a stunningly beautiful and sexy disease free Hubot at home that will enthusiastically provide the best sex he has ever had.

It’s OK for females to have vibrators and dildos. Females often say they would marry their vibrator if it paid the bills. No social isolation there. Ms Ostrow’s single female friends want money and status but they got nothing to offer other than a 75% chance they will ruin a man’s life. They are worse than useless because they are a liability.

Don’t worry, Ms Ostrow. A Woman Needs a Man Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle.